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5.0 out of 5 starsA dark classic
Satyricon step up another notch with The Age of Nero. Developing on previous ideas the songs are incredibly well crafted - catchy at times (not aways a bad thing) but still dark and brooding - you can't help joining in with the chorus of Black Crow... or Die by My Hand. The riffs are worthy of Mr Iommi. Satyr is in startling form more than ably backed by Frost...

3.0 out of 5 starsPoints the way forward
Did I miss something? I drifted away from metal for several years while I broadened my listening habits and when I returned everyone seems to be complaining about the state of Satyricon. Now I've missed two albums between this and Rebel Extravaganza. For me "Rebel" was a step away from the Satyricon I loved. "Dark Medieval Times" and "The Shadowthrone" are two of the...

Satyricon step up another notch with The Age of Nero. Developing on previous ideas the songs are incredibly well crafted - catchy at times (not aways a bad thing) but still dark and brooding - you can't help joining in with the chorus of Black Crow... or Die by My Hand. The riffs are worthy of Mr Iommi. Satyr is in startling form more than ably backed by Frost.

The intensity is unrelenting but never becomes one dimensional - there is plenty of subtlety and variation - the songwriting is that strong. The mix suits the mood and I thought my car was breaking up while playing The Sign of the Trident!

For those who think Black Metals not for them this could be the album to change your mind, The Age of Nero should drag Satyricon to the top table.

This is the latest offering from Black Metal's answer to Bros and my god, it's fantastic! It's everything you'd expect from Satyricon - dark and melodic, brutal yet poetic. I think that it's the perfect follow up to Now Diabolical and a must for any would-be fan. The 2 disc edition has some pretty fabulous extras on it too which span some of the band's back catalogue. A superb album. Put it on your Christmas lists and you won't be sorry!

Did I miss something? I drifted away from metal for several years while I broadened my listening habits and when I returned everyone seems to be complaining about the state of Satyricon. Now I've missed two albums between this and Rebel Extravaganza. For me "Rebel" was a step away from the Satyricon I loved. "Dark Medieval Times" and "The Shadowthrone" are two of the finest black metal albums available in my opinion. With "Rebel" there was a move toward a more cold futuristic approach much like the Thorns album a couple years later. "The Age of Nero" feels similar to "Rebel Extravaganza" is this respect and I see nothing wrong with this type of evolution. They just have to produce a masterpiece now in this style to silence all the grumblings of old school black metal fans. I just waiting for a sci-fi tinged black metal album to top the Thorns album and Satyricon really is the band that could do it.

Satyricon deliver an awesome album here returning slightly to their heavy Nemesis Divina sound. Satyr may have changed his appearance but dont be fooled this is an unrelenting brutal classic album. Also seeing a song penned in their Norwegian mother tongue for the first time since the aforementioned title which delivers much. There is also enough catchy riffs to shake a very large stick at. The only flaw on this album is that the production is not as high as the previous albums but this appears to be a deliberate attempt to recapture a former sound. Yet another awesome release in this stunning year for hard rock and metal.

This isn't as immediate as Now Diabolical, and falls somewhere inbetween that effort and Nemesis Divina. The production is slightly pared down too, but not to the music's detriment - has to be said that the drum sound is excellent, and the bass audible. The riffs are darker and more 'creepy' than on Diabolical - at times even having a hint of industrial. Traditional Black Metal fans should still like the guitar work here. There's not much in the way of keyboards or symphonics, but the album does close with some sparingly used brass instruments on the sinister sounding Den Siste (great to hear a song in native Norwegian again!)Other highlights are My Skin Is Cold, the brutal Die By My Hand (reminiscent of Forhekset) and my favourite, the powerful opener, Commando. GREAT riffs and drum beats!!I've read press reviews saying that this is more of a traditional Rock sound, even more so than the more accessible Now Diabolical. I don't hear it, it's not at all commercial and it has a very dark feel. So rest assured, Satyricon have not turned into Guns N Roses just yet!A lot of the songs are more or less mid tempo, but are no less heavy, and when the tempo does go up, it rages.Satyr's vocals are brutal as ever but still absoluteley clear, with no requisite for the available lyrics, which are as militaristic and threatening as before.Another good album, from this vintage year!

This is indeed a great arena-rock album. But for what I was expecting, it's a total let-down. Sure, it advances the sound of its predecessor. But where Now, Diabolical sounded 'dangerous' ( prompting metal-purists to denounce it at the time as "go-go metal"), this new Age Of Nero just sounds safe. It's exactly what the purists love to hear - that familiar (black album) Metallica sense of dynamics. That said, it's good to go with AC/DC and your local pint of lager.